Lock cap for gas tanks



June 26, 1934. F. E. ROCKHILL,

LOCK CAP FOR GAS TANKS Filed April 1, 1933 E ZZZ Patented June 26, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCK CAP FOR GAS TANKS Fred E. Rockhill, Ketchikan, Territory of Alaska Application April 1, 1933, Serial No. 664,012

1 Claim. (01. 220-33) This invention relates to the gas tanks of autotrated the lock mechanism except to show the exmobiles though the invention might be applied to tremities of the bolts 15 and the lock casing itself. other structures and the general object of the Preferably the key 16 is the ignition key of invention is to provide a cap for the gasoline tank the automobile, though I do not wish to be limfilling openings of automobiles which is adapted ited to this, and preferably attached to the lower 60 to be locked in place to prevent the theft of gasowall 17 of the lock casing is a chain 18 terminatline from the tank. ing in an anchor 19 having a length greater than A further object is to provide a cap of this the diameter of the neck A so that while the body character which is adapted to be unlocked prefof the cap may be removed entirely from the neck,

erably by the same key as is used for unlocking it cannot be easily detached from the neck. 65 or looking the ignition switch and further to pro- Attached to the downwardly extending margin vide a cap which is adapted to be inserted in 12 of the casing plate 10 as by welding or in any the neck of the gastank and locked therein or other suitable manner is a vertically extending when unlocked entirely removed from the neck wall 20 having a length less than half of the of the gas tank, this portion of the cap having circumference of the portion 12. This wall 7 a hinged closure which, when the body of the at one end terminates in a hinge element 21 and cap is inserted within the neck of the gas tank engaged with this hinged element is an arcuate and the key removed, may be swung over to wall 22 which is complemental to the wall 20 and entirely protect the parts from weather. which has a length greater than half of the cir- 20 Other objects will appear in the course of the cumference of the flange 12. Welded or soldered 75 following description. to this wall is the plate 23 having a downwardly The invention is illustrated in the accomextending flange 24 at its margin, which flange panying drawing, wherein: is attached to the wall 22 and soldered, welded Figure l is atop plan view of my improved cap; or otherwise attached to this plate 23 is a cap 25 Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through plate 25 which is slightly domical and which ex- 80 the neck or filling opening of a gas tank showing tends beyond the flange 24 on all sides so as to the cap in place therein with the closure opened form a protecting cap for the structure. It will and the key inserted. be seen that when the key 16 is removed, this eferring to the drawing, it will be seen that closure section formed of the parts 22, 23 and 25 the body of the cap includes atop plate 10 having may be rotated upon its hinge to entirely cover 85 its central portion upwardly bulged as at 11, the the body section of the cap and that when it is margin of the cap being downwardly turned at swung to the position shown in Figure 2, access 12 tofit over the neck A of the tank B. Disposed may be had to the body section to insert the key within this casing plate 10 is a lock casing 12 16, retract the latch bolts 15 and remove the which may be held to the casing plate 10 in any body sections from the neck to permit the tank 90 suitable manner as by the rivets 13 or by welding, B to be filled with fuel. soldering or the like. The lock casing 12 is less It will likewise be seen that the wall 22 must in diameter than the extreme diameter of the yield slightly to permit the cap section to be casing plate 10 and a gasket 14 is disposed at closed around the body section and after it has the upper end of the portion 12 between this porbeen closed, this wall 22 will slightly contract 5 tion 12 and the lock casing. The neck A at its through its own resiliency and thus hold the cap upper end bears against this gasket 14 when the section closed over the body section. cap is in place as shown in Figure 2. This has One of the advantages of this invention is that A is provided with the inwardly extending shoulit requires that the ignition circuit shall be broken der or flange a and the lock casing is provided and the engine, therefore, stopped before it is 1 with a plurality of bolts, two of which are shown possible for the attendant at a gas station to fill and designated 15 which are beveled on their the tank with gasoline. Many accidents have ocunder faces at their extremities and which are curred in consequence of the motor running while adapted to engage beneath this flange or shoulder the gasoline tank is being filled and this structure a when the cap is in place. These are spring will entirely prevent any accidents of this kind projected bolts and can only be retracted by happening because, if the ignition switch key is means or" the key 16. Inasmuch as a large vaused for opening the cap, the engine must be shut riety of locks might be used for this purpose and off before fuel can be filled into the tank. inasmuch as the detailed construction of the look It will further be seen that I have provided a 5:, forms no part of my invention, I have not illusvery simple and easily applied cap which is capable of being entirely removed from its obstructing position over the neck of the gas tank so as to form no impediment to the insertion of the filling hose and that this cap may be readily removed and readily applied and that the lock mechanism is entirely protected from the weather.

While I have illustrated certain details of construction and arrangements of parts, I do not wish to be limited thereto as obviously many changes might be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:-

A cap for the gas tanks of automobiles including a lock casing, an outer casing extending over the top of the lock casing and outward beyond the circumference thereof and then extended downward in spaced relation to the lock casing and adapted to extend downward over a filling neck, an arcuate Wall exterior to and extending upward from the periphery of the outer casing and less in length than one-half the circumference of the outer casing, an arcuate wall hinged to one end of the first named wall having swinging move ment in a plane at right angles to said wall and having a length greater than one-half the circumference of the outer casing, a cap carried by said wall and adapted when the wall is swung inward to embrace the outer casing to extend entirely over and project beyond the outer casing.

FRED E. ROCKHILL. 

